A novel animal-derived virus has infected at least a dozen people in eastern China, according to scientists.
In the provinces of Shandong and Henan, 35 people tested positive with the new Langya henipavirus (LayV). Fever, exhaustion, and coughing were among the most common complaints.
Animals have been linked to the spread of the virus. There is yet no indication that LayV can be transmitted between humans.
Infected shrews were shown to be the primary reservoir of the virus, according to the researchers.
In a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine this month, researchers from China, Singapore, and Australia wrote about their findings.
There is “no need to fear,” according to one of the researchers, Wang Linfa from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.
Mr. Wang, however, cautioned that there is still a need to be on the lookout because many viruses that live in nature can have unanticipated effects on humans.
Shrews may be “natural reservoirs” for LayV, according to scientists who discovered the virus in 27% of shrews tested. Dogs and goats both tested positive for it at about the same rate (5% and 2%, respectively).
According to Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control, the emergence of LayV is being closely monitored.
In the henipavirus family, LayV is one of many zoonotic viruses that can spread from animals to people.
The Covid epidemic has heightened awareness of zoonotic viruses, which are extremely frequent.
CDC scientists estimate that three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans emerge from animals, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The UN has already warned that climate change and greater exploitation of wildlife will lead to a rise in infectious diseases.
Animal-to-human transmission of some pathogens is a possible threat to human health. Among them are the Nipah and Hendra viruses, the latter of which was first discovered in horses in Australia but has since spread to people and other animals in Asia.
Shrews, bats, and other rodents have also been found to have henipaviruses that are similar to those found in humans.
